Two outstanding leaders in Catholic education and four long-serving retirees were among those honored by Light of Christ Catholic Schools at its annual staff celebration Friday at LOCCS Learning Centre in North Battleford.
Presented once again were the Lumen Christi awards, which recognize faculty or alumni who have demonstrated leadership and made significant contributions to Catholic education.
This year the Lumen Christi award in the alumni friend category went to Gil Bellavance.
Light of Christ board vice-chair Adrienne Welter recognized his military service and his volunteer efforts on boards in the community, as well as his efforts in the school division, including as a lay minister.
“Deacon Gil is a man of faith and has been a member and supporter of St. Andre Catholic Church for many years,” said Welter.
He is also an active volunteer within several parishes where he acts as a deacon, and performs lay mass at Villa Pascal and on First Nations south of North Battleford. He was credited as being a large part of the St. Mary community for 15 years.
Bellavance’s various activities, Welter said, show “how a Catholic man can live with integrity in every aspect of his life.”
The Lumen Christi award recipient in the staff award category is Sylvie Masich of École Monseigneur Blaise Morand, who has been a teacher in Light of Christ schools for 26 years.
Board chair Glen Gantefoer paid tribute to Masich by saying “her experience, knowledge and talents, particularly in the music ministry, can be felt the moment you enter her classroom. It’s permeated throughout all that she does as a teacher. She’s committed to ensuring success for each student, celebrating the inherent dignity of each human being and fostering a culture of inclusion while responding to the diverse learning needs of her students.”
Three of the four retirees were in attendance at the event. Retirees this year are:
Conrad Baum, whose first year of teaching was Unity RCSSD No. 88 in 1986 and whose last year teaching was at St. Peter’s in 2018.
Charlene Ferron, who has retired as receptionist and administrative assistant with the division office.
Brenda Nabe, who began at Kids First in 1993 and who has been an educational assistant at John Paul II Collegiate for the last 13 years.
Vivian Zimmer, whose first year of teaching was at École St. Joseph in 1992 and whose last year was at EMBM. Zimmer was not in attendance on this evening.
The evening also included staff long-service awards from five years all the way up to 30 years. Receiving the 30-year recognition this year was Shauna Blackmer of St. Mary School.
